Steve Mason's absence in net from tonight's Game 1 is a huge blow to the Philadelphia Flyers' chances against the New York Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, right? Not really.

Ray Emery isn't exactly chump change. Sure, his stats (Emery went 9-12-2 with a goals against average of 2.98 that was the second worst of his career and a .903 save percentage that was the fourth lowest of his career) are nothing to write home about, but Emery is still a pretty good player. Anyone who watched him shut down the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks after two early goals on March 18 or shutout the St. Louis Blues, who had the third most points in the NHL, on April 1 knows Emery is more than capable of getting the job done. He's also played in 36 playoff games, 32 more than Mason.

While losing Mason, who was injured when he was run over in the second period on Saturday against Pittsburgh, stings, it doesn't mean the Flyers are doomed. They have plenty of talent to beat the favored Blue Shirts, but they can't get off to a slow start.

The Flyers can't allow the fact that they haven't won in Madison Square Garden in over three years get in their heads. It's imperative that the Flyers at worst gain a split in New York, meaning they'll have to earn a victory at MSG for the first time since Feb. 20, 2011.

How do they do it? It's really not that hard.

First, the Flyers' embattled defense needs to help out Emery. That means clearing pucks to the boards, manning up on Martin St. Louis and the Rangers' other talented goal scorers and making sure Emery isn't screened. That will fall directly on the shoulders of the 39-year-old Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Nicklas Grossmann, Mark Streit, Luke Schenn and Sean MacDonald, he of the six-year, $30 extension signed Tuesday. If that group can do the three things listed above, then Emery will be able to fill Mason's skates without much of a problem.

It won't be enough for the Flyers' defense and Emery to play well, though. They need the offense to play with more consistency and it starts with the captain, Claude Giroux.

One of the NHL's top players, Giroux rebounded from a horrendous start to have one of his best years this season. Goalless through 15 games, Giroux finished fourth in the NHL with 86 points (28 goals and 58 assists). When Giroux is playing at his best he's a playmaker, able to find teammates in open ice while forcing opponents to still respect his dangerous shot.

If Giroux is playing at the top of his game it makes teammates like Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds that much better. Neither of those guys are going to create of a lot of scoring chances on their own, but they work perfectly with Giroux centering them at a high level. If the Flyers can get contributions from guys like Jake Voracek, Sean Couturier, Vinny Lecavalier, Matt Read and Brayden Schenn then they're going to be just fine.

It won't be easy going against one of the NHL's best goalies in Henrik Lundqvist, but the King didn't have one of his best seasons.

His .920 save percentage was just 15th best in the NHL and the fourth lowest of his career. Lundqvist's goals against average of 2.36 was 14th best in the NHL and the third worst of his career and nowhere near the 1.97 and 2.05 he posted the last two seasons. Does that mean Lundqvist is a turnstile? Heck, no, the guy is still a likely Hall of Famer, but maybe he's not quite as invincible as he was in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

I know that's asking for a lot, but this is playoff time. For teams to advance and keep their chances their chances of putting their names on Lord Stanley's Cup alive then teams need their players performing at high levels from the first line to the fourth, to all three defensive pairing and the goaltender, whoever that may be.